1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to induction motor control generally, and more particularly to "field-oriented" or "vector" control of induction motors.
2. Description of the Related Art
Control of induction motors can be performed by "field-oriented" or "vector" control. Several examples of field-oriented-control schemes exist. Included in those examples are U.S. Pat. No. 4,808,903, issued to Matsui et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,027,048, issued to Masrur et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,967,135, issued to Ashikaga et al; U.S. Pat. No. 5,166,593, issued to De Doncker et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,168,204, issued to Schauder.
Generally, in field-oriented control of an induction motor, the electric currents in the phases of the motor (e.g., three phases in a three-phase motor) are resolved into one "direct-axis" current and one "quadrature-axis" current. The direct and quadrature axes reside in a synchronously-rotating reference frame.
In field-oriented control, rotor flux of the motor is a function of direct-axis current (and independent of quadrature-axis current), while torque produced by the motor is generally a function of both direct-axis and quadrature-axis currents. Rotor flux is a function of only direct-axis current due to selection of the slip speed at which the rotor operates. (Slip speed is defined as the difference in rotational speed between the rotor and the electromagnetic field in the stator of the motor). If the slip speed is properly selected, the motor is said to be "field-oriented" and the rotor flux along the quadrature axis is zero (that is, all of the rotor flux is along the direct axis).
As those knowledgeable in the art of induction motor control realize, effective control of an induction motor is facilitated by applying field-oriented-control techniques.
A field-oriented controller chooses desired direct-axis and quadrature-axis currents such that the motor being controlled operates as desired (e.g., with desired torque or speed). Sometimes, in field-oriented control of an induction motor, the controller will assume that the quadrature-axis and direct-axis currents should be equal. For some operating conditions, this assumption will produce good efficiency of the motor being controlled. The controller will then cause the desired quadrature-axis and direct-axis currents to be transformed into three phase currents. Those three phase currents are the actual physical electric currents applied to the motor.
The assumption made by the controller that the direct-axis current should be equal to the quadrature-axis current is sometimes a good assumption; sometimes, high efficiency is produced. However, where saturation of the core of the motor begins to set in (a fairly common condition), the efficiency resulting from equating quadrature-axis current and direct-axis current begins to decrease.
Another means employed in the prior art to help assure high efficiency of an induction motor is to run the motor and measure the efficiency (i.e., energy produced as a fraction of energy consumed) at which the motor is operating. By trial and error, the direct-axis current is modified such that the efficiency of the motor is a maximum. Although this method may be effective for motors that operate mostly in a few operating conditions, such a trial-and-error approach is not as applicable where motors operate in varying conditions (such as in an electric-powered vehicle, for example).
Therefore, a method to control an induction motor with high efficiency over a wide operating range without requiring a trial-and-error approach would provide advantages over the prior art.